6 Steps to Free Publicity

6 Steps to Free Publicity

by Marcia Yudkin
Released October 2008
Publisher(s): Career Press
ISBN: 9781601630278

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Book description

“There are many good books on publicity. Yudkin certainly matches all the others and actually exceeds them in two areas—humor and creativity.”

—Booklist

Want the world to know who you are, what your company offers, or the urgency of your cause? With the popularity of the Internet, it’s never been easier for an ordinary Jane or Joe to use publicity to spread the word. Whether you want to attract new business, establish yourself as an expert, build your company’s reputation, or introduce a new concept to the community, free publicity is the cheapest, most credible way to do it.

This thoroughly updated edition of 6 Steps to Free Publicity includes detailed tips and techniques for utilizing 21st century grassroots publicity techniques—from blogs and social media to viral videos and podcasting-along with the basics of earning ink or air time. It also covers:

* Getting started—how to overcome fears, feel comfortable with fame, and think up newsworthy publicity angles.

* How to write tip sheets, pitch letters, articles, and news releases that roll out your message and keep you in people’s minds and files.

* How to perform on radio, TV, or the Web like a pro.

* Publicity writing tips that ensure you’ll be easily found online through search engines.

* Strategies for building an audience of fervent fans online or within a geographical or special-interest community.

* A full range of attention-getting techniques, from wacky and quirky to serious and highly respectable.

Read 6 Steps to Free Publicity with highlighter and notebook in hand, because it inspires creative exploits and powerful publicity campaigns...that cost next to nothing!

Author of 11 books, Marcia Yudkin has been turning words into money since 1981, when her first freelance article appeared in The New York Times. She is the author of Web Site Marketing Makeover and Internet Marketing for Less than $500/Year. She has landed publicity in The Wall Street Journal, Entrepreneur, Success Magazine, Women in Business, USBanker, and dozens of newspapers around the world. Yudkin lives in Goshen, Massachusetts

Table of contents

  1. Title Page
  2. Copyright Page
  3. Table of Contents
  4. Dedication
  5. Acknowledgements
  6. Introduction
  7. PART I - GETTING STARTED WITH PUBLICITY
    1. Chapter 1 - Riches...Credibility...Prestige...Opportunity- What Publicity Can ...
    2. Chapter 2 - Thinking Like a Publicity Hound
      1. GETTING CLEAR ON YOUR GOALS
      2. THE KEY THAT UNLOCKS MEDIA DOORS
      3. 10 WAYS TO BE TIMELY
      4. 23 MORE WAYS TO BE NEWSWORTHY
    3. Chapter 3 - The Comfort Factor: Exposure Without Feeling Exposed
      1. 20 PREVALENT FEARS ABOUT AND OBJECTIONS TO PUBLICITY
      2. EXPLORING YOUR COMFORT ZONE
  8. PART II - WRITING TO GET PUBLICITY
    1. Chapter 4 - 6 Steps to Free Publicity: Creating and Distributing a News Release
      1. SAMPLE NEWS RELEASE #1
      2. 6 STEPS TO FREE PUBLICITY
      3. SAMPLE NEWS RELEASE #2
      4. IF YOU USE E-MAIL
    2. Chapter 5 - Supporting the Story With a Media Kit or Online Media Room
      1. COMPONENTS OF A MEDIA KIT
      2. ONLINE MEDIA ROOMS
      3. PUBLICITY PHOTO TIPS
    3. Chapter 6 - Letters That Pitch for You, Rattle the Public, or Roll Out Your Message
      1. SAMPLE PITCH LETTER #1
      2. SAMPLE PITCH LETTER #2
      3. SAMPLE PITCH LETTER #3
      4. SAMPLE PITCH LETTER #4
      5. PITCHING BLOGGERS
      6. OFTEN OVERLOOKED: LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
      7. FAN LETTERS THAT WIN YOU TRAFFIC
    4. Chapter 7 - Tip Sheets That Keep You in People’s Minds, Files, and Favorites
      1. INTRODUCING THE TIP SHEET
      2. HOW TO USE TIP SHEETS
      3. BEYOND ONE-PAGERS
      4. THE WHITE PAPER GAMBIT
      5. ONLINE GIVEAWAY STRATEGIES
    5. Chapter 8 - Painlessly Publishing Articles Yourself
      1. GETTING FOCUSED
      2. IF YOU WRITE A COMPLETED ARTICLE
      3. IF YOU SEND A QUERY
      4. SAMPLE ARTICLE QUERY
      5. THE “NICHE TO GET RICH” STRATEGY
      6. BEYOND ARTICLES
      7. YOUR OWN E-ZINE OR BLOG
    6. Chapter 9 - Advertorials That Don’t Cost You a Cent
      1. AN ADVERTORIAL BY ANOTHER NAME
      2. HOW TO DO IT
      3. SYNDICATION SERVICES, ARTICLE BANKS, AND DO-IT-YOURSELF SYNDICATION
  9. PART III - SPEAKING AND ACTING FOR PUBLICITY
    1. Chapter 10 - Staging Magnet Events
      1. THE ATTRACTION OF A MAGNET EVENT
      2. DANGER, DANGER
      3. GUIDELINES FOR A SUCCESSFUL MAGNET EVENT
    2. Chapter 11 - Speaking, for Fee or Free
      1. HOW SPEAKING PRODUCES MEDIA PUBLICITY
      2. WANT TO SPEAK? LET’S COUNT THE WAYS
      3. THE TALK ITSELF
      4. ADVANCED TACTICS TO ENSURE THAT SPEAKING PAYS OFF
    3. Chapter 12 - Hitting the Airwaves, on the Radio, TV, or the Web
      1. THE MOST ACCESSIBLE TV OPPORTUNITY OF ALL
      2. BEING AN INTERVIEW GUEST
      3. APPEARING ON THE NEWS
      4. OTHER PUBLICITY OPPORTUNITIES ON RADIO OR TV
      5. PODCASTING AND ONLINE VIDEO
    4. Chapter 13 - Schmoozing That Puts You in the Public Eye
      1. STRATEGIC SELF-INTRODUCTIONS
      2. BEING MEMORABLE
      3. SCHMOOZING WITH THE MEDIA
      4. SCHMOOZING ONLINE
      5. SCHMOOZING THROUGH SOCIAL MEDIA
  10. PART IV - POLISHING YOUR PUBLICITY SKILLS
    1. Chapter 14 - Cooperating With Reporters
      1. DO’S AND DON’TS FOR PRINT INTERVIEWS
      2. JOURNALISTS’ HORROR STORIES
      3. IF YOU FACE HOSTILE PRINT REPORTERS
    2. Chapter 15 - Performing on Radio and TV Like a Pro
      1. PREPARE, PREPARE, PREPARE
      2. WHEN YOU ARRIVE AT THE STATION
      3. DO’S AND DON’TS ON THE AIR
      4. DIFFICULT MOMENTS, SPECIAL SITUATIONS
    3. Chapter 16 - Pitching Over the Phone
      1. REACHING OUT TO CALL THE MEDIA
      2. CHECKLIST FOR ACHIEVING PHONE FINESSE
    4. Chapter 17 - 10 Pitfalls in Publicity Writing—and How to Avoid Them
      1. 10 PITFALLS IN PUBLICITY WRITING—AND HOW TO AVOID THEM
    5. Chapter 18 - 77 Ways to Get Unstuck When Trying to Write
      1. 77 WAYS FOR WRITERS TO GET UNSTUCK
    6. Chapter 19 - Getting Sizzling, Forceful Testimonials
      1. WHAT MAKES A BLURB COMPELLING?
      2. HOW TO GET BLURBS
      3. THE ETHICS OF EDITING AND USING BLURBS
      4. OFFERING TESTIMONIALS YOURSELF
      5. VIRAL MARKETING: THE ULTIMATE TESTIMONIAL
    7. Chapter 20 - How to Concoct Creative Angles, Images, and Exploits
      1. THE METAPHOR GAME
      2. TURNAROUND IS FAIR PLAY
      3. BORROW FOR THE MORROW
      4. IMAGINE THAT!
      5. FUNNY STUFF
      6. EAR TO THE GROUND
      7. IMPROMPTU PERFORMANCES
    8. Chapter 21 - Becoming Findable Through Search Engines
      1. HOW SEARCH ENGINES “THINK”
      2. GET FOUND FAST WHEN BIG NEWS BREAKS
    9. Chapter 22 - Making Time to Publicize
      1. 3 MODELS FOR GETTING AROUND TO PUBLICITY
      2. 1. STEADY DROPS OF WATER
      3. 2. WAVES
      4. 3. TSUNAMIS
      5. GETTING AND STAYING ORGANIZED
      6. CREATING A PUBLICITY PLAN
      7. PROBLEMS AND SOLUTIONS
  11. PART V - KEEPING THE PUBLICITY MOMENTUM GOING
    1. Chapter 23 - Capitalizing and Building on Your Free Publicity
      1. HOW TO STRETCH 15 MINUTES OF FAME TO A LIFETIME
    2. Chapter 24 - Resources for Your Publicity Campaigns
      1. MEDIA DIRECTORIES AND OTHER REFERENCE WORKS
      2. ONLINE MEDIA DIRECTORIES (NO COST)
      3. PURCHASABLE OR SUBSCRIPTION-ACCESS MEDIA DATABASES OR LISTS
      4. NEWS RELEASE DISTRIBUTION SERVICES
      5. EVENT PUBLICITY SERVICES
      6. LEADS SERVICES
      7. EDITORIAL CALENDARS
      8. CLIPPING SERVICES
      9. TELESEMINAR TOOLS
      10. RECOMMENDED BOOKS
      11. RECOMMENDED PUBLICATIONS
      12. PUBLICITY RESOURCES
      13. PROFESSIONAL ORGANIZATIONS
      14. RECOMMENDED MEDIA COACHES
      15. RESOURCES ON SEARCH ENGINES
      16. OTHER RECOMMENDED ONLINE RESOURCES
  12. About the Author

Product information

  • Title: 6 Steps to Free Publicity
  • Author(s): Marcia Yudkin
  • Release date: October 2008
  • Publisher(s): Career Press
  • ISBN: 9781601630278